Whispering Leaves Poem by Suzanne Hayasaki

The woods whispered to me
In their language of rustling leaves:
Take us as your mentors
Open up your senses
Let in our filtering light.

Here we stand, rooted in place
Facing centuries of winters and springs
With the dedication of sentinels
Wrapped in the gnarly bark
Of our own stoicism.

The world flies by on slender wings
Or slithers stealthily underleaf
Or scurries and leaps from branch to branch
Or tromps along dropping plastic trash.

And yet we are content in our rootedness.
We do not wish for wings or hooves.
We do not envy the evergreens,
Worrying over our fallen leaves.
We do not wonder what will come
Or imagine we could have grown taller.

Instead we draw what we can from the soil.
We spread our canopies to gather energy.
We sustain ourselves and shelter our friends
And today we sense your presence.

So sit among us and rest.
Let the sunlight shimmer like tiny diamonds
Twinkling through the green of our leaves.
Lean against one of our ancient trunks.
Close your eyes and breathe.

Here in this moment be aware.
Here in this moment be in awe.
Here in this moment take your place in eternity
In a universe of galaxies spinning through space.

Here on this beautiful day
On this miraculous planet
You exist.

Let that awareness sustain you
When the pain returns
When regret creeps back
When life offers you less than you desire.

In the infinite space-time continuum
You exist.